Cllr Joe Rayment is angry on behalf of the communities once served by the school in southwest Bath (Image: Artur Lesniak)

Mr Rayment, who is the deputy leader of the Labour group in Bath and North East Somerset, said: “For this to come out as Bath Community Academy closes its doors for the last time is a slap in the face for Twerton, Whiteway, Southdown and surrounding areas.

"I believe the Cabot Learning Federation has failed these areas, yet their CEO and deputy CEO are being rewarded for this failure.

“The closure of schools with no democratic accountability and huge salaries for unelected and unaccountable senior managers are just two of the many failures of the Tory/Lib Dem coalition’s disastrous academies programme.

"It’s time to bring democracy back into education and clear out the fat cats.”

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The Cabot Learning Federation, which is sponsored by Rolls-Royce PLC and the University of the West of England, has called the high executive salaries "appropriate" and "good value for money".

A spokesman said: "The Cabot Learning Federation is a large multi academy trust of fifteen academies, serving almost 9,000 students and employing more than 1,600 staff.

"At the CLF we take our responsibility for the proper use of tax-payer funded resources extremely seriously, and it is right that we are held to account for all aspects of spending, including the remuneration of our senior leaders.

"The CLF has two senior leaders who are paid between £100,000 and £150,000.

"These leaders’ levels of pay are determined by their experience, expertise and duties, benchmarked against similar external roles.

"The CLF believes that the salaries of these leading members of the organisation are appropriate in consideration of the size of their responsibilities, and provide good value for money."

In the lead up to the closure of Bath Community Academy, a campaigner who was among many who fought a long battle to keep the school open accused the Cabot Learning Federation of under-investing in the school.

Parent Sarah Moore said: “We fought a long campaign to save Culverhay from closure and when the academy option was proposed we agreed to pursue this route and not the free school proposal we had put together.

“We felt this was potentially the more sustainable option due to the experience of the Cabot Federation.

“I am saddened they did not invest in BCA in the way we were assured and as such this has led to the closure,” she said.

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The school, in a fairly deprived area of Bath, did face many challenges in recent years having been put in special measures at one time but it had received a "good" Ofsted rating shortly before being taken over by Cabot.

A spokesman for Cabot said: “Given the overall high numbers of places available in schools in Bath compared to the relatively low numbers of pupils seeking places at Bath Community Academy, it was clear that the current mainstream provision at BCA was not financially sustainable and would have to close.

“This was a difficult decision made at the end of a long period of consultation with Bath and North East Somerset Council, the department for education and the regional schools commissioner.

Pupils and staff share their recollections of life at Culverhay

Ex pupil Luke Taylor who now runs a an award winning film and media company called Lt Film in Bath, said: “I’ve so many fond memories it’s difficult to know where to start.

“Whenever I look back at my time at Culverhay I smile.

"Some of the best times were in the sixth form when I was lucky enough to go on many European trips, including an exchange with a school in Kaposvar, Bath’s twin city in Hungary, where we experienced true Hungarian culture, witnessed a member of staff get chased by a heard of sheep and made some life long friends.

“Those trips gave me the chance to see the world for the first time, visiting Valencia, Barcelona, Seville, Milan and Bremen with some of my closest friends and the most supportive and genuinely caring teachers whose words of wisdom and guidance will remain with me forever.

“I owe a lot to the school for giving me confidence to apply for university and introducing me to my love for filmmaking which is now my business and full time profession.

“The opportunities Culverhay gave me, from designing and painting one of the King Bladuds Pigs of Bath, to singing solo at the Bath Abbey Christmas Carol service and learning to play the piano, performing at the egg theatre every year in plays written by the students, seeing the world and even the most hilarious (and educational) trips, including one to the SS Great Britain (which I filmed!), have truly shaped who I am today.

“Those extra curricular activities gave young people the chance to discover who they were and where their passions lie.”

Annita Wright: “I was Headteacher at Culverhay from 1993 to 1997.

"I have very happy memories of a hardworking staff always doing their best for the students.

"My most outstanding memory was the atmosphere in the school on the day we learned that one of our PE staff, Jon Sleightholme, had been selected to play rugby for England.

"It was the last year of the amateur game before it turned professional and, inevitably, we lost Jon to Bath Rugby.

"I took early retirement from teaching in 1997 having failed to get the go ahead to turn the school into a co-educational establishment, courtesy of the equal opportunities act of all things.

"Since my retirement I have been living in France but I have followed the sad news about Culverhay’s closure from distance."

Neil Fawcett: "I remember Mike Fair (headmaster) quoting on Invasion Day (where junior school pupils in their final year are invited to Culverhay just prior to starting senior years): 'you don’t know it yet but, these will be the most important and enjoyable years of your lives'.

Former teacher Tracy Johnson: “I taught at Culverhay School from 2005-2012.

"It was my first job after ending my teacher training and is certainly the most memorable (so far).

"I remember turning up for my interview and feeling quite jaded as it was the third one I had had that week, but as soon as I walked into the school I had an overwhelming feeling of ‘this is the place for me’, a bit like when you’re house-hunting and you find the right house.

"It was a Friday and Mrs Gumm and Mrs WIlliams were having a bake-off competition during Friday breaks.

"I remember Mr Bailey arriving with the most enormous spoon in order to tuck in to some tiramisu.

"I was immediately struck by the warm and welcoming nature of thee school.

"There was definitely a very special feeling about Culverhay."

Raji Kulatilake: “I came to Culverhay School in September 2000 having spent the last 5 years of my life living in Sri Lanka.

"It was a massive culture shock for me, but I was made to feel very welcome and at home by my teachers and senior staff in particular.

"I’ve studied in a whole range of environments in my lifetime including grammar schools and I can genuinely say that I consider some of the best teaching I have experienced to be during my Culverhay years.

"There were so many people who made a massive influence on my progress at the time and people who never got the recognition they deserve.

“I was only supposed to be there for a term, with my parents initially wanting me to move elsewhere.

"However in that short space of time, I made special friendships and felt valued by the teachers, with the resulting feeling of wanting to stay there, which I did.

"It’s incredibly sad news to me that what was once Culverhay School will be no more.

I will always remember some good times and be grateful to the teachers who put a lot of faith in me."

"Miss Elmer and dog, Mr Fenning, RE. Could name many more. I left in 1976.

”The reunion at Walcot rugby club on Friday night, July 13 should be a very lively affair and some are hoping it might become an annual celebration for a school which created so many fond memories and changed lives."

“The buildings and site will be handed back to B&NES for the council to decide its future.

“The Cabot Learning Federation will not gain any financial benefit by handing the buildings and the site back to B&NES.“

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